Flying Feet and Broken Wings
by PaleAssassin
Summary: The Justice League gets a call they thought they'd never get. Blackmailed into helping a young hero, Batman sends The Team in to rescue her and bring her back for questioning. They get more then they bargained for when the find her. OC/Robin.
1. Calm Before the Storm

This is what happens when I get writers block, I write something else.

Summary: The Justice League gets a call they thought they'd never get. Blackmailed into helping a young hero named The Runner, Batman sends The Team in to rescue her and bring her back for questioning. They get more then they bargained for when the find her. OC/Robin. Yes, this is a slash.

I'm relatively new to superhero stuff, the only things I know are what I've read on here and what I've seen on Young Justice, so I'm changing it to fit my storyline. If you hate what I do, I don't really care. I'm writing this for my own enjoyment, and hopefully someone elses enjoyment. I'm also writing this because I don't want to start on my essay for English that's due Monday. Wish me luck on that.

I don't own Young Justice or the Justice League, or anything by DC. I **DO** own The Runner, Hopeton, and everyone in Hopeton.

**The Calm Before The Storm**  
>The day that The Team heard about The Runner, everyone, excluding Aqualad, had just gotten back from school. The first one in was Artemis, already clad in her green outfit. The others came in consecutively, starting with M'gann and Superboy. Kid Flash, surprisingly, came in before Robin, though the little bird wasn't far behind.<br>Robin had just gotten into the kitchen when he heard the news reporter start talking about a hostage situation in the town Hopeton, which was about a two hour drive from Mount Justice. The reporter was talking about some of the hostages, who seemed to be pretty important people in Hopeton, when a shadow-clad figure started raising hell. The figure, too small to be an adult, flipped through the air, kicking out and hitting the hostage-takers. The men fell like dominos.  
>The kid was now in full view of the cameras. You couldn't see the kids face, but you could clearly tell that heshe was no older than Robin, who had just turned 15, three months before. The figure was clad in grey baggy pants and a black long sleeved shirt. They had a mask on, too, a black, full-face mask with a white stripe heading from the left side of the kids face to the kids right cheekbone. It looked like someone had just decided to put a kid in a superhero outfit and send them off to be killed. Of course, that's how the Justice League first thought of Batman bringing a nine year old Robin into the hero lifestyle.  
>The Team watched, amazed, as the reporter started to stammer.<br>"I… Oh, my God. Jonas, are you getting this? That….. that's The Runner. Jonas, are we live?"  
>The Team was barely listening, they were too busy watching the tiny form take down five men, three times their size. The hostages seemed a little, well, unnerved to see the darkly clad figure. Seven out of the ten hostage had their eyes down, almost as if they didn't dare to look at a kid who probably weighed a fourth of what they weighed.<br>"Good. Um… This, this is incredible. No one has seen The Runner in months. Hopetons very own homemade hero. This girl has been fighting for justice in our streets for four years. Many people say she can't be more than 17 years old. There are people who say she's only 15. That would make her 11 when she began protecting those who couldn't protect themselves."  
>Just then, the girl, The Runner, dealt a very hard kick to the last of the hostage-takers, taking the man down. Many of the civilians who had been watching the action let out a cheer, which was cut short by the arrival of the city cops. Then, to everyones surprise, The Team and the civilians alike, the cops got out of their cars and pointed their guns at the girl.<br>"Freeze!" One of them yelled, "Put your hands up and come towards the door, slowly."  
>The Runner visibly tensed, but didn't do either of those things. Instead, she reached into her pocket, pulling out what looked like a sliver of paper. One of the cops flicked his safety off.<br>A civvie, a young boy, turned and screamed, "She just helped my daddy! Why do you want her?"  
>The Runner turned and laughed at the cops. "You really think, after four years of evading you, that I would give up now? Man, you guys really have the brains of Chihuahuas, don't you?"<br>With that, The Runner turned on her heels, quickly slicing the bonds of each hostage with a switchblade that hadn't been there a second ago, and, in a flash of flying feet, ran straight up the wall to her right. Hostages and civilians alike stared, with open mouths, as she pulled herself onto the roof and started running, bullets flying after her.  
>Kid Flash was staring, surprised at the girls speed. She was outrunning the bullets, but she didn't have super speed. In fact, the reporter, a woman by the name of Charlie Trapes, was saying that the tiny girl didn't have any powers. Artemis was smirking, thinking of how more and more superheros without powers were showing up. Aqualad was astounded that a girl who was obviously malnourished, you could see her ribs through the tight black shirt, could knock five overgrown men out and run from cops on barely any nutrition. M'gann, of course, was worried about the small child. The girl was a baby to the Martian, even though M'gann herself was only 18. Superboy was confused, as always. He couldn't understand how he hadn't heard of the young vigilante. Robin was just as confused, and for the same reason. The little bird, though he wasn't very little anymore, hadn't ever heard of a vigilante in Hopeton. In fact, the bird hadn't known that Hopeton needed a vigilante. The very name seems to say, "Yeah, we're okay. We got everything under control," yet here was someone who didn't think so.<br>Unbeknownst to the young heros, Black Canary was also watching the news. She wasn't nearly as perplexed as they were. After all, she had known Robin when he was just nine, at the very start of his hero career, and he had been doing things almost as dangerous all this time. What did puzzle the older hero was the fact that the Justice League database had nothing on a vigilante called "The Runner", or any hero from Hopeton. They had nothing on any villains, either. So why would the town need this Runner, and why would the police not want her there? Black Canary sighed. She would have to find that out on her own.  
>Robin was thinking almost linier to the other bird, going over everything he'd heard about Hopeton. After a list of three things, none of them helpful at all, he gave up. The ebony would just have to wait until he could get back into the Batcave to find out more about this town.<br>But, of course, he would only find what The Runner wanted them to know. The Runner had made sure of that.

The girl in question ran faster than ever before, surprisingly reaching her hideout in record time. She'd worked hard to get back into shape. After all, when you're the only vigilante in a town of assholes and fuck-ups, you need to be able to run. And running is what she did best.  
>She had picked out the name herself. The Runner, not original, but not taken, either. Something of a joke between her and her older "brother".<br>_"You see how she fast she runs, Mama?" An nine year old asked, pulling at her mothers skirt and looking at the woman with big sapphire eyes. They were watching their newest member, a young girl about twelve years old, run up and around the training field, her dull brown and bright auburn highlighted hair whipping around her pale face. The girl had a look of pure delight in her silver-blue eyes._  
><em>The little girls mother, a tall, tan skinned, dark haired, dark eyed woman, smiled at her daughter, "Yeah, she's really fast, isn't she, Sammy?<em>  
><em>Sammy's brother, who six years older than his sister, huffed, " I bet she's just showing off." The boy turned to his father, "Right Dad?"<em>  
><em>The boys dad, a blue eyes, blonde haired man as tall as his wife, laughed at the boy.<em>  
><em>"No, Tom. She's just really good. And she loves running. Fallac told us that she insists on running during training." The man turned to his wife, " Right, Jen?"<em>  
><em>The woman, Jenifer, smiled back at her husband, " Right, Zach."<em>  
><em>Sammy, the nine year old, looked at her dad, "Fallac told me that she feels free when she runs, Daddy. Why doesn't Kitty feel free all the time?"<em>  
><em>The girls father didn't answer. His eyes were glued to the newest member of their family, the girl his daughter called Kitty. She was running faster than what seemed possible for an twelve year old, sprinting straight towards a wall. Tom, despite his hostility towards the young girl, held his breath. She'd done stunts like this before, but she hasn't gone this fast since she got back from doing whatever the heck the girl did to be given to them. The siblings mother held her breath too, knowing that if she distracted the girl, it could be a very painful landing.<em>  
><em>Of course, their worries proved incorrect, as Kitty turned at the exact right time and ran across the wall, reaching the other side of the practice field completely unharmed. Each family member, aside from a certain nine year old who still hadn't gotten her answer, let out their breath in a sigh of relief. No matter how many times the young girl did stunts like that, they'd always be worried for her safety.<em>  
><em>The families thoughts of their new young ward were cut short by a scream of fright. Everyone, even the young girl who had just been getting ready for another run, looked up for its source. Tom was the first to see her, a little three year old girl dangling from a wall across the room from Kitty. The little girl screamed again, barely hanging onto the slippery red wall. <em>  
><em>"Alice!" Jen screamed at her youngest daughter.<em>  
><em>Kitty sprang into action, calculating what she should do. The wall was at least twice the twelve year olds height, but that didn't matter at all in her brain. This was her family, her little sister, about to fall to her death. She knew the three year old couldn't hold on much longer. <em>  
><em> Before anyone could call to get a ladder, Kitty was running straight towards the wall. This time, instead of turning on a dime and running on the wall, the young girl ran up it, grabbing onto the side and pulling herself up just in time to grab her little sisters hand. The toddlers scream was cut short as she was pulled up by her favorite new friend, her "sister". The toddler, little Alice, began whimpering and crying, burying her face into Kittys large grey shirt. The twelve year old held onto her, balancing herself perfectly so that neither of them fell. <em>  
><em>By that time, the entire training field had fallen silent and was staring at the two young girls. The wall that Kitty had just climbed up was reserved for only the advanced members of the Rebels. Some of their most seasoned veterans couldn't climb it, yet this little girl, with almost no training, simply ran up it. Everyone knew that sometimes, the smaller members got up onto the wall, but by climbing it with a rope, or finding a ladder and using it. This raw, untrained, malnourished girl just ran up it like it was a little stepping stool. <em>  
><em>The sound of little Alice crying brought some of the Rebel members out of their awed stupor, and someone ran to get a ladder. Another went to find Fallac, to tell him about this girl. By the time Fallac got to the field, both girls were safely down on the ground and wrapped in their parents arms.<em>  
><em>Fallac folded his arms, "Zachary, Jenifer, what happened?" <em>  
><em>Anyone who didn't know Fallac would think he was angry. He sounded angry, he looked angry, he even seemed to radiate anger. But it wasn't anger he felt. It was fear. Both little Alice and Kitty, who's real name happened to be Kathryn, were favorites of his. If anything had happened to them, he would be just as devastated as their parents.<em>  
><em>The little three year old turned in her fathers arms, looking straight at Fallac with red, puffy eyes, "I wanted to climb on the wall, like Kitty," Alices' voice was soft and trembling, "But I slipped and fell. I held on, but I was scared." She buried her face back into her fathers jacket. <em>  
><em>Kathryn, who always told Fallac that only her siblings and her foster parents could call her Kitty, spoke up, "We heard her scream. I knew she wouldn't be able to hold onto the wall forever, so I ran up it to help her." <em>  
><em>The twelve year old turned completely to her mentor.<em>  
><em>"Am I in trouble, Fallac?" She asked, almost as if she was scared of him. <em>  
><em>Fallac started. "Why would you think you're in trouble, Kat?"<em>  
><em>The girl bit her lip and looked down, "Well, the others stared at me when I was up on the wall. I thought, maybe, I shouldn't've gone up there."<em>  
><em>He stared at the girl. "Wait, you ran up that wall?" He pointed to the wall in question. The young girl nodded, almost in tears.<em>  
><em>She was surprised when Fallac wrapped her in his arms. The man seemed relieved, picking up the twelve year old as if she was the little emaciated nine year old he found living on the streets three years before and holding her tight against his chest.<em>  
><em>"You little idiot," He whispered into her sweat streaked hair, "You could've died!"<em>  
><em>He set her down again, though he kept a tight grip on her shoulders. Kat saw fear in his eyes for the first time since she'd come back after fighting with some of the worst men in Hopeton.<em>  
><em>"What's wrong with the wall? Why would I have died?" Kat asked.<em>  
><em>The three adults looked at each other, wondering if they should tell the girl. Finally, Zach sighed and knelt down to his wards level.<em>  
><em>"You see, Kitty, that wall isn't very easy to climb. A lot of people have tried, but there have only been a few that have actually made it to the top. Some of those who tried had been your age, but none of them made it up. There were seven cases where they'd tried to climb it, but they fell and broke their necks."<em>  
><em>The girls eyes widened. "Oh." She looked down, but she didn't look scared. In fact, she looked proud of herself. Zach looked concerned until he realized that she still had adrenaline running through her veins.<em>  
><em>One of the other Rebels came up to Kat, a man named Walter. <em>  
><em>"Kathryn?" He asked. The girl looked up at him.<em>  
><em>"Kat, if we put a mat underneath the wall, do you think you could try to climb it again?"<em>  
><em>The girl looked at her foster parents and her mentor. The adults didn't seem thrilled about the idea, but curiosity took over their minds.<em>  
><em>"Its your choice, Kitty." Jen told her foster daughter, rubbing the girls hair.<em>  
><em>Kats eyes lit up, turning more blue than silver. "Okay! I'll do it!"<em>

_True to his word, Walter had four mats placed underneath the wall. Kat ran up the wall six times, showing everyone that it wasn't just luck and adrenaline that got her up the first time. By the time she ran up the wall the third time, there was a crowd gathered around, watching her do something that none of them could do. When she got down the sixth and final time, people cheered and slapped her on the back. Not many twelve year olds could do things that most grown men couldn't do._  
><em>The others finally let her go, promising to teach her some other things besides wall running and wall climbing. Kat was so tired that Zach, her foster father, had to carry her back to their house. She was almost asleep when they reached their destination, which was about seven miles from the training field.<em>  
><em>"She's our little runner, isn't she, Zach?" Jen said, looking at their young ward. Kat stirred, showing the adults that she was at least half awake.<em>  
><em>"Yes she is." Zach said proudly.<em>  
><em>Tom, their fifteen year old son, scoffed, "How is running good? When you run, it means your scared. I don't run, not from anything."<em>  
><em>Zach, still holding onto their newest family member <em>(Even though she couldn't really be called _new_, seeing as she'd been with them for a year)_, cuffed his oldest child on the back of his head. The young boy shot his father a look which could've melted stone, but the older man was used to it._  
><em>Jen, glaring at her husband but laughing inwardly, turned to Tom, "You don't always run when you're scared. It can also mean you're brave enough to admit defeat-"<em>  
><em>"Why would that be considered brave?" Tom interrupted her.<em>  
><em>The famous Mother Glare turned to him, making Tom visibly shudder. The last time she used that Glare, it was because someone brought up the past to Kat, making the seemingly indestructible girl cry. Everyone knew not to mess with Kat. Otherwise, you'd get it from not only her foster parents, but her older "brother", her mentor, and about ten other people who considered the girl to be family.<em>  
><em>"I think what your mother is trying to say, Thomas, is that running can also be good. You run into a battle, don't you?" The boy begrudgingly nodded. "And you run in a battle sometimes, right?" He nodded again, becoming less and less sure of his accusation. "You see, Kitty uses her running to help her fight. You've seen her bring down a full grown man by running on the wall and kicking him upside the head, remember?" The boy smiled at the memory, nodding, " Then running can't be all bad. She's the runner of the family. She uses strategy, because without it, she would lose every time." Finally, Tom sighed in defeat, walking ahead so he could get the door open for his father and his "sister".<em>  
><em>"Mama?" A sleepy voice asked. Jen turned to her two daughters, Sammy and Alice. Sammy had asked to hold Alice on the way home. Alice, though still awake, was struggling to stay that way.<em>  
><em>"Yes, honey?"<em>  
><em>"Is Kitty gonna run forever?"<em>  
><em>Jen opened her mouth, but someone beat her to it.<em>  
><em>"Not anymore, Alice."<em>  
><em>Everyone, even Tom, turned to look at Kat. She had her eyes open, but she couldn't seem to lift her head. Even so, she spoke again, "I don't have a reason to keep running. I have you guys, I have Danny and James, and I have Fallac. Why would I keep running when I don't have a reason to go?"<em>  
><em>The adults were speechless, but the children were smiling. Tom walked back over and took Kat into his arms, much to his parents surprise. <em>  
><em>"Yep! You'll always have us. No matter what, little runner." He chirped. His sisters nodded, and they chased the two older "siblings" into the house, followed shortly by the adults.<em>

They always called her either Kitty or The Runner after that. In the field, she was The Runner, a kick-ass woman with no meat on her bones but enough muscle to bring down an overgrown man, who had enough authority to talk down anyone four times her age, and who had the brains to run her own revolution, if she wanted. At home, with her "siblings", she was Kitty, the soft, lovable girl who couldn't cook and who always sang her little "sisters" to sleep. It was almost a double life. Almost.  
>The sound of thunder interrupted her happy memories. The vigilante looked up at the sky, noting that the sun had disappeared completely in the coming storm. If she didn't hurry, she'd be caught in the middle of it. 'And,' Kat thought, 'I might miss dinner.'<br>She quickly got up and started for the door to her hideout, which was really just an old apartment building that had been abandoned. Inside, she'd hid all her equipment; an old computer that she salvaged from a junkyard that she fixed up to take information from the local police dispatch, a phone that was wired to trace any calls The Runner got, a bed for when she couldn't make it back home, a workbench for when she needed to repair/make things, and, of course, five extra suits and ten extra pairs of shoes for when the others fell apart. Sprinting to the closet that held the extra clothing, she dug at the bottom to find her regular clothes.  
>A pair of black jeans, her red shirt with the Batman logo on the front, and her old grey tennis shoes were laying at the bottom of the closet. She quickly dug them out and changed, taking almost no time in tying her shoes. Tom would kill her- scratch that- Sammy would kill her if she's late to dinner again.<br>Kat stood up and dashed to the door, but stopped short. Something was missing, something important. Her hand flew to her neck, 'The necklace!'  
>That was something Kat was never seen without. Jen, her foster mother, had given it to the girl on her thirteenth birthday, two weeks before the fire. Kat ran back, digging again underneath the pile of clothes. 'Sammy would yell at me if she saw this,' The girl thought, without much humor.<br>Finally, at the bottom of the pile, she found it. It wasn't a simple thing, a silver cross covered in little amber colored roses and grey, pointy thorns. The necklace, in itself, was quite simple, but the idea behind it was something no one had been able to figure out. Even Jen couldn't tell what it meant, but it was still special to Kat.  
>Slipping the necklace on, Kat ran out the door, locking it. The rain had already started, but that meant nothing to the teen. In fact, it made running through the town much more interesting.<br>Running as fast as she could, the girl made her way to another seemingly abandoned apartment building, this time sliding down a drainage pipe to get to the back door. The house Kat shared with her siblings, a two bedroom, one bathroom apartment, was on the top floor, but completely inaccessible by anywhere but the actual door. At first, it had ruined any fun the girl might've had, but she came to see it as a safety measure. And they all sure as hell needed to take every safety measure they could.  
>She burst into the lobby, taking a quick glance at the clock. '7:58,' Kat mused, 'I have two minutes to get up there before I get yelled at. Plenty of time.'<br>She ran up nine flights of stairs, skidding to a halt in front of the door at the end of the rusty smelling hallway. Trying to get her breathing under control, she did not want her family to know that she'd been running the entire time, she turned the knob and walked in.  
>The smell of spaghetti, her favorite, wafted through her nostrils. Kat inhaled the smell, smiling. 'Better then anything I could do.' Silverware clinked in her ears, telling her how late she almost was. It was always almost's with Kat.<br>"Kathryn Rylee Jones!" Kat cringed. Well, at least most of the time, it was almost.  
>"Kitty? Is that you?" Someone else cried. Kat smiled, 'Of course, Alice would never be mad at me.'<br>"Yeah, its me, 'Lis." She called, slipping out of her soaked tennis shoes and walking into the apartment completely.  
>Her three siblings, and her brothers girlfriend, Danny, were already sitting at the table, forks and knifes in hand. Everything was already on their plates, spaghetti with red sauce, breadsticks, parmesan cheese, they'd even poured milk! It was a feast in their household. Mostly, all they could afford to eat were cold sandwiches and glasses of water, which usually tasted like rust.<br>Kat placed her hands on her hips, "Okay, what's the occasion, and why did you start before eight?"  
>Danny stopped swirling her spaghetti around with her fork and jumped up. In an instant, Kat was wrapped in the older girls arms.<br>"Whoa," Kat smiled, hugging the girl back, "Now I'm really concerned. What's going on?"  
>Alice looked like she was ready to burst, but Tom beat her to it.<br>"We watched the news today." He blurted.  
>That surprised Kat, but, not giving them the satisfaction of finally surprising The Runner, she smirked, "Oh, so you saw the debut of The Runner 2.0!"<br>Danny pulled away from the girl, laughing.  
>"You're not really calling yourself that now, are you?" The older girl asked.<br>"Of course not. Doesn't mean it doesn't sound cool."  
>"Yeah," Sammy rolled her eyes, "Cool. Absolutely amazing. Now sit down so we can eat. Alice wouldn't let any of us eat until you got here."<br>So the "family" sat down, enjoying the rare feast. For a few moments, there was peace in their chaotic world.  
>But there was never peace for long in Hopeton. This was just the calm before the storm.<p> 


	2. See You In Hell

****OMG FINALLY! I just finished this, so sorry if its bad. I should be reading Huck Finn (Yeah, right), but I had to finish this! I kept getting writers block, but I got past it.

_ I can't believe how long I'm making these. I find that amazing._

**Enjoy!  
><strong>

* * *

><p><strong>See You In Hell<strong>

*The Runner*

-One Year Later-

Cracked cement tore at my bare feet, pealing the skin from my heels. Little pools of blood began to fill my footprints, washed away a second later by the thunderstorm that had erupted five minutes ago. The drumming rain almost drowned out the sound of sirens and men yelling that were too close for comfort. The only thought in my mind was 'Get higher, you need to get higher.'

A pipe, barely half a block away. That was my way up. I knew this part of the city better than any of those cops. I have a chance to survive this.

'Yeah,' My mind laughed at me, 'A chance. How far is a chance gonna take you?'

I shook away the panic and fear that threatened to well up in my mind. There was no way panicking would help me in this situation. Nothing but my training and a clear head was gonna get me back to my hide out.

The sound of feet was getting closer when I finally found the pipe. Scaling it was no problem, even in the rain. Without my shoes, it was almost too easy. Rusty flakes fell off my feet as I ran across the rooftops. The cops stopped right below me, yelling my name. They couldn't see through the sheets of rain that fell. I couldn't see well, either, but I knew this part of Hopeton like the back of my hand. After all, when you grow up in the most dangerous part of town, you really know how to escape.

My breath came in short puffs, the rain pelting my naked arms. I wasn't even in my costume. If those cops had caught me now, they might not've believed who I was. I sure as hell wouldn't've believe it. After all, dead men don't go a walkin'.

I ran up the wall in front of me, grabbing onto the top of it and pulling myself up. From there, it was almost a cakewalk. There was nothing to hinder me, and there sure as hell wouldn't be any cops around to delay me.

'Almost there,' I thought gleefully, 'Almost there. Just a few more blocks and-'

Gunshots tore through the stormy atmosphere, clanking against the scaffolding on my left. Something the size of a dime exploded right above my head. I flinched, reliving bad memories of the last time I'd been shot. 'How the hell did they see me?'

Looking to my right, I searched through the torrential rainfall. 'There,' I told myself, 'In the distance, there's a man-'

My thoughts were cut off by another gunshot, this one tearing through the meaty part of my right calf. I screamed, the sound resounded against the metal buildings around me, but I kept running. There was no way in hell that anyone was gonna catch me without my mask on.

Whoever the men were, because they defiantly weren't cops, began to run after me, but soon had to give up. I was jumping from building to building, something that none of them could do. They probably assumed that I would collapse, so that they could come get me, but I wasn't going to faint now. Not with my identity on the line.

The bullet wound was beginning to make me light headed by the time I found my hideout. I jumped inside, quickly grabbing my mask and throwing in on my face. With barely any time to change, I slipped my costume on, making sure to wrap my leg with a bit of gauze and tape. I'd have to have Danny look at it when I got to the base.

Knowing there wasn't much time before they at least tried to find me, I limped to my computer. I had to get a message to the Leader, tell him what happened. Typing furiously, I found the signal for the base and locked on, sending an invitation on a secure network. They'd know it was me, but I couldn't take any chances of being overheard.

It took a whole two minutes, almost long enough to warrant an emergency, before someone answered.

"C'est notre temps." A woman said, even though the computer screen was black.

"Laisser l'aube surgissent." I answered, knowing the password by heart.

The screen turned white for a second before returning to its natural color. Lana, one of my soldiers, stared at me with her burning emerald gaze. The gaze turned concerned, although it was almost perfectly concealed, when she met my eyes.

"Runner? What's wrong? Why all the security?" She paused, taking in my pale face and fevered eyes accordingly, "Are you injured?"

I grimaced, another shot of white-hot fire bursting through my veins, "Yeah, Lana. Got shot in the leg. Someone's after me, though I lost them about four minutes ago. Don't know how much longer they'll wait, though. I'm gonna try to get to the base. Tell James I'm coming, and get Danny."

Lana nodded, already turning to someone in the background. I took the chance and quickly told her that I was going, turning off the monitor before she could protest. There was a chance that I wouldn't make it back to the base, but even with that thought, I couldn't say goodbye.

'Stop being so melodramatic,' I told myself sternly, 'You'll make it back. And when you get there, Danny can get you some nice pain pills, and they'll knock you out for days.' I liked that thought. Sleeping for days is just what I need.

I got up slowly, making sure that I could still stand on my leg. It held me up, but just barely. The adrenaline was keeping most of the pain away. 'Now, if only I could get my hands on a bottle of whiskey,' I thought, 'That would help even more.' Of course, Danny would never give me any alcohol unless we had no pain meds left.

Before I left, I made sure to lock up completely. There were no actual locks, but I made it look like there was nothing here. Sometimes, I'd mess with the electrical force field I'd stolen two years ago, but nothing ever became of it. There were programs in place to destroy anything potentially threatening to the Rebels if anyone came in that wasn't authorized and weren't in my database, though.

As soon as I stepped outside, I knew that getting back to the base would be a problem. The sound of sirens and shouting men were closer than ever before. And my leg burned like hell. 'Come on, Jones,' I ground my teeth together, 'You gotta get back to the base.'

I turned away from the sirens, thinking about all the things I should've done to prevent getting shot, and ran. It wasn't really running, more like limping very fast. My leg was hampering me more than I thought it would. No matter, I was almost there, anyway.

Running was a problem, yes, but jumping was pure torture. It took all my control to not yell out when I jumped off of the last building. At least I knew that none of the cops, or whoever the hell is chasing me, could get down here.

It took me a total of five minutes to get to the warehouse that contained one of the most secure places in Hopeton. That was three more minutes than it should've taken me. 'The adrenaline must be wearing off,' I thought as I typed in the password. 4-BEEP-6-BEEP-9-BEEP-5-BEEP-3-BEEP….. _SHINK!_

The sound of a door opening echoed through the warehouse. A steel door slowly materialized across the room, the invisibility cloaking that I'd made disappearing itself. Limping across the room, I noticed how close the sirens were. Too close for comfort. 'Oh well,' I thought, shoving the door open wider. I slid through the cold metal door, pushing the heavy thing closed behind me. There was an immediate reaction.

A shout of, "Kat!" rang up first, followed by two more calling my vigilante name. Danny barreled into me, wrapping her strong arms around my tiny frame. Looking behind her shoulder, I saw James and Lana standing behind Danny, both looking just as relieved as she did. Danny pulled away, but instantly had to grab me again as I fell.

"Kat?" James this time. I looked into the mans face and was shocked to see how tired and _old_ he looked. It was as if someone had put a 45 year old James through a time machine and sent him back to replace the 23 year old James that I knew. "Kathryn, what happened?"

Looking from him to Lana, I saw pain and exhaustion screaming out from the thirteen year olds face. This was not a good day to be injured, and I knew it. I gritted my teeth, letting Danny take most of my weight as our party lurched through the steel-lined hallways on our way to the infirmary.

"Well, James," I started, "I was trying to get to my hideout. Didn't have my costume or my mask, so I had to run when the police tried to get me down. Figured out real quick who I was. Must've gotten snipers, 'cause I didn't see who shot me." I grimaced, "Hurts like hell."

James looked at Lana, who nodded and went to get the others. Her group would be patrolling tonight. He turned back to me, "Careless, much?"

By that time, we'd reached the infirmary, and Danny made me lie down on one of the tables. While she went to get some morphine, I answered, "Not careless. Don't usually look at the rooftops. Somthin's got 'em riled." Pain. Full-fledged, white-hot, blood-boiling, agonizing pain filled me. The adrenaline had worn off completely.

Even though James was only six years older than me, he knew when not to push me, and this was one of those times. He sat with me until Danny came back and hooked up the morphine and some sedatives. When the IV started dripping the mind-numbing drugs, he sighed and stood up, "I'll go tell Tom you won't be home anytime soon. God knows what he'll do when he finds out Loup-Garou's cronies got guns."

"Raise hell. Theres no fuckin' way he wont. And watch him try to make me 'retire'. Damn, sometimes I want to hit him to get it through his thick-fuckin'-skull." I couldn't talk right. Something was wrong. Dimly, I was aware that the morphine and sedatives was taking effect, but it didn't completely register in my muddled brain.

Danny flicked the back of my head lightly, but I barely registered it. 'This is like the time I got drunk,' I thought sleepily.

James smiled, walking out of the room Danny said something about getting the bullet out of my leg, but I barely heard it. My eyes were so heavy. I blinked slowly, unaware of my surroundings. I didn't like the feeling. Fallac always told me to always be aware of your surroundings at all time. This felt horrible, but at least it numbed the pain.

Sleep threatened to overtake me. I struggled to stay awake, but everything in my mind screamed at me to sleep. Danny must've noticed, because she said, "You can sleep now, Kitty. Lana and her team can handle The General and Loup-Garou for a night or two."

That didn't help. Thinking of Lana and her group, all of them under the age of fourteen, up against those assholes made me want to tear the IV out of my arm and go with them. I knew I couldn't, but I was their mother bear. All of my soldiers were either orphaned or their parents didn't care about them. I was their mom, their mentor. They all could come to me for anything. Thinking of Lana, or Garth, or Ryan, or even Ethan going up against Loup-Garou was terrifying.

"Runner." I turned my heavy eyes to Lana. Her entire group stood in the doorway. Ryan looked like she was about to cry, but she also looked excited. This was her first patrol, but I guess she always thought that I'd just tell them to go, not get injured and make them go. Ethan, of course, looked pissed off, but he was worried, too. Garth just looked bored. Of course, Garths' been with me since I became a leader, same as Lana. He's seen me pull through worse. Lana wore the expression of absolute bliss, but she also looked scared. She walked over to me, Ryan coming up right behind her. Ethan and Garth stood in the doorway, just waiting for their leader and the youngest to come with them.

"Kat, are you okay?" Ryan asked, trying to pull her dull, blood-red hair up into a ponytail.

"I'm fine, Ryan." I said, but my words sounded slurred.

"You don't look fine, Kat." Garth said.

I turned as much as I could, glaring at him. He shrugged, "You always lie if its about you. I've known you for almost three years, I know when you lie."

Sighing, I turned back to the red headed ten year old in front of me. She was still struggling to tie her hair up. "Come 'ere, Ryan," I said, motioning for her to sit down. She did as she was told while I sat up. Danny grumbled, something about how she should've knocked me out when she could. I didn't listen, but instead grabbed the ponytail holder from the ten year old and quickly pulled it up for her.

"Thanks, Kitty!" Ryan said, pulling away and hugging me. I smiled, hugging her back. Ryan wasn't the youngest, but she was, what most of the others called, my 'favorite'. She was just so innocent and sweet. No one could understand why her mother abandoned her on the side of the road.

Lana, though she was smiling, tugged Ryan away from me, "Come on, Rose," She used Ryan's alias, Rosaline Sayrie, or Red Rose, "Lets leave Danny to her job." Lana turned to me, "Don't worry, Runner. We'll keep the Loup-Garou and The General in check."

"Yeah, we'll kick their asses!" Ethan joked. Garth, standing taller, elbowed him in the ribs. Everyone knew that I didn't let my soldiers curse. I may slip up every now and then, but I never cursed around them. They were all younger than me, all of them except for Garth and Ethan, and I wasn't about to set a bad example.

The girls turned and left, Ethan chasing after them. Garth came over to me, "I'll keep 'em out of trouble, Kat. Don't worry."

I smiled, lying back down. The morphine and sedatives were completely taking over my system now. I don't smile at Garth, let alone talk kindly to him. He doesn't like it when I treat him like a friend. But I started talking, anyway, "I know, Garth. You're a good kid. I think you need to smile more, though. And tell Lana how much you like her."

If I'd've been completely aware of what I was doing, I would've stopped at 'good kid', but I felt funny. The room seemed to be spinning. But, to my complete surprise, he laughed. **LAUGHED**. Was this the same Garth that yelled at me when I hugged him?

"I'll tell her some day, Kat. But for now, sleep. I'll make sure nothing happens to them. Lana may be the leader, but I'll always be there to keep them in line."

"Okay…. Yeah," I breathed, my eyes unfocused, "Garth? I feel funny."

He chuckled again, something completely un-Garth-like, "I know you do. Just go to sleep, Kitty. Ryan and Alice and Sam will probably be here when you wake up."

I couldn't tell if I nodded or not, but in the next moment, everything went black.

-One Week Later-

I sat back with relief, kicking my feet up on my messy desk. It was the first time in three days that I'd been able to relax. In the four days I've been back, the town seemed to have erupted into chaos. Criminals decided to pull all their stunts while I was in the infirmary. Loup-Garou and The General started to hand out weapons and cash to big-time convicts and the local mob-boss. Taking into account all the small-time thieves and bank robbers that I usually deal with, these last three days were equal to about a month of work. That's what I get for getting shot.

The screen of my personal computer blinked, signaling an alarm that I'd set. I sighed, knowing exactly what it was reminding me of.

"Time to make another video diary," I said out loud to an empty room.

I pulled my legs down, wincing at the pull of my wounded leg. The program I used to record myself was already up, blinking as a smiley face, courtesy of my adopted sister, Alice, greeted me again. I brought my face up closer to the webcam, adjusting the settings until my face was clear. Then, as a routine, I hit record, sucked in a giant breath, and began,

"This is Kathryn Rylee Jones. Alias, The Runner. I'm sixteen years old, I'm 5'6" and a half, and I weigh 106 pounds. My hair is brown with auburn highlights, and my eyes are grey and blue. This journal is to keep my memory in check, like always. Today marks the 31st video journal I've done."

I took another breath, sighing, before continuing, "I have three foster siblings. Alice, my youngest sister, is seven years old. Samatha, or Sam, is my younger sister, and she's 12. Thomas, or Tom, is my older brother. He's 19 years old, soon to be 20. My real brother has been dead for eight years, along with my real parents."

The part that came next was always the hardest, "My foster parents are Zachary and Jenifer Wallace. They've been in a coma for two years. My real parents are Rell and Yvonne Jones. They've been dead for eight years. They were shot in the head, along with my older brother. I was the only survivor."

I could barely stand to talk about their murders, so I began a different part of my story, "I am one of four leaders in the Revolution, along with my friends Nelly Emerce, Walter Unthar, and Ioni Park. I lead the kids under the age of eighteen, mostly orphans, and I teach them how to fight. My team, which consists of Ryan Monny, a ten year old rose-red haired girl, Lana Quinn, who is 14 years old and the leader, Garth Zale, 17 years old and second in command of the team, and Ethan Lawrence, 16 years old. They patrol when I'm injured or too sick to stand."

"I fight for one reason and one reason only, Loup-Garou killed my family. I watched him kill them, right in front of my eyes. That set the spark that lit the candle. I know that he killed my family, and countless others as well. He is a murderer and deserves to be put away in a tiny jail cell for the rest of his life."

Now, I thought, for the new part of my story, "I hacked into the Justice League database not too long ago. I know all their names, and the names of their sidekicks, or parters, as I prefer to call them. I know where they live and where they work. I know who their families are and how they fight. I know almost everything about them. I only did this in case I'm kidnapped or killed. There are plans in place in case any of this happens. Hopefully, it wont come to that."

"I guess that's it for now." I smiled, laughing in my mind, "I never know how to end these. Well, bye, I guess."

I turned the recording off, still laughing in my mind. It was crazy, having to keep these video diaries. But if I didn't, I might forget who I was. It was also good for if I ever got amnesia.

Amnesia. The word made me wonder what would happen if Jenifer and Zach ever woke up. Would they remember me? Or, more importantly, would they remember their own children?

Shaking my head, I got up out of my chair. It was no use, thinking of the 'ifs'. As Fallac always told me, 'Focus on the when's and how's, not the ifs and maybe's.'

I hurriedly changed back into my civvies, making sure to place my necklace around my neck, where it belonged. A quick look at the clock told me it was 1:26 A.M, later than usual. Alice would be sitting by the door, wrapped up in her Batman blanket that she made herself. Sam would've left out a meal for me, a sandwich and some juice, most likely. Tom would be asleep, but he has the day off tomorrow, so he'd wait for me to wake up and scold me for getting home so late. Just like always.

While rushing out the door, I forgot one crucial thing. Fallac would kill me if I told him. I forgot to check the outside of my hideout. Of course, I really didn't need to most of the time. I made sure that no one ever followed me. It would've been dangerous. But so was being careless. Because right outside my door, was something I never thought I'd see.

**_BAM!_**

_"See you in Hell, bitch"_

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><p><em><em>Yeah, the ending sucks. Its 10pm on a freaking Wednesday, what can I say?

Oh, and I've never asked for these, but review? Please? I need to know if I'm terrible, or where I can improve, or if I should even keep writing this.

P.S If you review, I will give you a virtual cookie and a virtual hug! Don't you wish you could actually do that?


	3. Woke Up This Morning

Okay... I'm back. If anyone cared. See, I'm a freshman in High School right now, been swamped with homework. And I kinda lost everything when my computer broke. I'm only lucky that I'd backed this up on a different location.

Oh, and I kinda forgot to mention that I'm switching between Kats P.O.V and 3rd Person. I'm new at this, so I'm broadening my horizons and checking my other writing skills, if I have any at all. Feel free to critique me for anything at all. As I said, I'm still very new to this. If I made any little mistakes, please forgive me. Its 11pm on a Monday, I have school tomorrow, and my brother is having health problems right now. I'm writing to keep my mind off of that.

All this said, please enjoy.

* * *

><p>Woke Up This Morning<p>

*3rd Person*

-Later That Morning-

Tom awoke with a start, breathing heavily. His hands clutched empty air, a scream clogging his dry throat. The dream, that one dream you always have and can never get rid of, had been flashing through his mind for weeks now. It was always the same thing. His sisters, Sam and little Alice, would be burning and screaming, crying out for him to save them. Danny would be running from the Loup-Garou, trying to get away, but she would always be too slow. Kat would be standing there, laughing and laughing…..

The 19 year old shook his head, for more of a comfort than something that actually worked. Tom was haunted by the dream. It was like he was frozen, suspended in the thick air and completely helpless while his family would be dying. He would plague his own foster sister as their murderer. After watching them all die, he'd suddenly have Kats' switchblade in his hand, the last thing she had left of her real brother. Then, after watching Kat laugh her twisted, evil little laugh, he would get free, and he would stab Kat with her own weapon. Her face would change, back into the real Kat. The Kat that was scared of fire and bullets, the Kat that couldn't hold a finger to Alice or Ryan. The Kat that trusted them with all her heart and loved them more than she loved herself. She'd look up at him and smile, showing him her bloodstained teeth and laughing as blood clogged her throat. Then she'd fall, and he'd catch her, but she would die before he could call for help. Tom would then be surrounded by ghosts, ghosts of his sisters, of his girlfriend, and of Kat. They'd all ask him one question, "Why?"

That was when he'd wake up, clawing for his family and wanting to scream. He never would scream, though. Screaming would be like showing a weakness to his sisters. All of them, even Kat, thought of Tom as invincible. He would always be there to save them. He saved them all from the fire, saved them from being taken to an orphanage, saved them from the little everyday horrors that came with living in a town like Hopeton. His sisters thought he was a real hero, just like their Kat. Kat herself believed that if he took on a costume, he could do better than she ever could. Tom knew for a fact that he wouldn't do half as good of job as Kat did, with her daily routine of getting chewed up and spit back out.

Thinking of his sister, Tom realized that he had fallen asleep before she came home. He had been meaning to admonish her for getting home late, again. He got home at about 10 P.M at the earliest. It used to be that Kat would get home before him, she'd be the one handing him a sandwich and a glass of water. But lately, Kat had been getting home at three or four in the morning. Tom had tried to yell some sense into her hard head, but so far, she'd either decided to ignore his warnings or she was incapable of getting home earlier. They were all worried about her, especially with her newest scar, courtesy of Loup-Garou's cronies. Alice had started sleeping on the couch, right next to the door, so that she could help Kat out of her rain-filled/blood-soaked clothes. Sam started leaving something more nourishing than their usual dinner out for Kat to consume. Danny was increasingly annoying her about her health, asking all sorts of questions she never asked anyone else. It was just a matter of time before Kat ended up like their parents.

'No,' Tom thought, 'don't think about them. Just go check on Kat.'

He got up, wincing at the pull of sore muscles in his back and legs. It wasn't the best thing in the world, working at one of the many factories in Hopeton, but it paid the bills and put food on the table. Tom would often hint to Kat that being a hero didn't pay enough, but she never would listen. As the only costume in Hopeton, she had enough press reporting on her and enough people who relied on her that she would never leave them out to dry. Kat lived to help people. She didn't care about money or fame, Kat only cared about keeping people from dying. That was what she did, and nothing but death would stop her.

Tom crept into the living room, expecting to see Kat asleep on the couch with her arms wrapped around Alice. That's how he usually found his sisters. But, to his upmost surprise, Alice was laying on the couch by herself, wrapped instead in her homemade Batman blanket. Either Kat was already up, which was unlikely, or she never came home.

Sighing, Tom looked in the room Alice, Sam, and Kat shared. There was Sam, her dark hair peeking out of her blankets, but the other bed was completely made up. There were no clothes on the ground like there usually was when Kat came home. Listening closely, Tom could tell there was no shower running. Kat never came home last night.

There were few places Kat would ever go without her family. Of those few places, there were only two she would sleep at. That meant she was either at HRMB (Hopeton's Rebels Main Base) or she was in her hideout. At least he could call HRMB and see if she's there with James.

Alice was up when Tom came back into the living room. She startled when he entered, but calmed down when she saw it was him. Her dark eyes had bags under them, signs of her late night. The poor girl was only six years old, far too young to be wondering if her sister would come home alive every night she went out. She looked into Tom's eyes for a minute, and then said, "Kitty never came home, did she?"

Kat, or Kitty to them, always woke Alice up when she came home. It was obvious that she never entered the door. That was just Alice's way of asking, "Did Kitty get hurt?" or "Where's Kitty?" It broke Tom's heart, just as he knew it broke Kats' heart each time she got hurt and Alice worried over her, tears in her big, dark, six-year-old eyes.

"No. She didn't. I'm going to contact the Rebels. You wanna help?" Tom asked, knowing well that his sister could speak the passwords better than he could.

Alice nodded, sliding over enough for her older brother to sit on the couch and pulling the laptop that always sat on the coffee table closer. She started up the program while Tom sat down and made himself as comfortable as possible on their cheap, lumpy couch. The screen went black and an indescribable voice whisper-screamed out of the speakers,

"Các ngày là trẻ."

'Hmm. Vietnamese this time.' Tom thought. He was confident that Alice knew the answer though. She always did.

"Có là làm việc để làm." Alice said, her accent giving away her American background. No one used accents in the Rebel community. It was about results, not how well you did something.

The screen froze for a second, same as it always did on their cheap computer, before revealing James, the Leader of the Rebels. Tom stared for a second, surprised to see his face. James almost never manned the computers; he was always too busy running the Rebel operation. Tom could tell how much of a toll being the Leader was to James. The man was only twenty-four, five years older than Tom himself, but James looked about forty, with the bags under his eyes and the weary, battle-worn expression screaming out of his face.

"Long night, James?" Tom asked, worried for his friend. He almost regretted calling, since the fatigued man looked as if he'd spent a night with the devil.

However, James smiled slightly while answering, "You have no idea. I've been trying to call you guys for about two hours now. Is Kat there with you?"

Tom and Alice both froze.

"She isn't there with you?" Alice asked.

That made James freeze as well, "No. She hasn't stopped by in two days."

Tom jumped up from the couch, leaving Alice at the computer. Alice knew what he was doing, so she said, "Meet us up at Kats' hideout. We'll be there in five."

James nodded, turning to someone off-screen. Alice logged off of the program, running into the room she shared with her sisters. Sam was still halfway asleep, but she rolled her head towards her younger sister.

"Hmm?" Sam mumbled, rubbing her sleep-swollen eyes.

"Go back to sleep, Sammy. Tom and I are going to do something." Alice said, pulling her old sweatpants out of the drawer and grabbing her tennis shoes.

Sam nodded as best she could with her head still on her pillow and fell back asleep. Alice smiled, knowing her older sister needed all the sleep she could get. Anyways, three people were more than enough to check out Kats' lair.

'Well, probably Garth and Lana will end up with us. So, make that five.' Alice thought with a touch of humor. Alice knew both of them well enough to understand that they would pick up on what was happening. They were the best, after all.

Both Tom and Alice were ready to go in two minutes flat, a minute longer than they should've been. Then again, both had just woken up, so they cut themselves some slack. It just made it that much harder to get to Kats' hideout in time.

It took the siblings three more minutes than expected to get to Kats' den, which made it four more minutes than it would've taken Kat to get home. They arrived to see that they had beaten James and whoever he might bring with him. He wasn't far behind, climbing up the broken ladder on the side of the building with Garth and Lana at his heels. No one exchanged greetings, instead focusing on the seemingly abandoned warehouse. It was one of the many abandoned places in Hopeton, this one was probably the least conspicuous, so it made the perfect hiding spot for a safe house.

James walked up to the door, pressing his palm against an apparently normal wall. A light blared out of the wall, running against his hand, another running against his eye when he moved his face towards the wall. There was no awesome voice to announce admission, but they all heard the tell-tale slide of a metal door coming from inside the warehouse. James walked through a dusty old blanket used as a door in the abandoned buildings, followed closely by Tom, Alice, Garth, and Lana.

Inside of Kats' hideout was a mess. Clothes littered the wooden floor, food wrappers and bottles surrounded her dusty computer, the telephone was ringing off the hook, and everything was either covered in a layer of dust or was halfway clean. The wardrobe she'd set up was flung open, the shoes, shirts, and jeans inside were messily put away. The bed on the far side hadn't been made in weeks, there was old, dry blood on the sheets from her many injuries. But, and they all knew this, everything seemed to have a place. Nothing was out of order, nothing was stolen or missing. It looked as if she'd just walked off the face of the earth.

They spread out, looking under, on, in, and around everything. There was nothing to be seen. Everything was in its order. James and Tom paused to look at each other. They were thinking linear, it seemed. Something was wrong.

"Hey, James. Look at this." Lana called from where she was, sitting in front of the giant computer in the center of the room.

Everyone gathered around the computer, which was now flashing a strange warning on it. 'If I'm gone, open this' it said, and there was a file underneath it. There was no name on the file, but nevertheless, James told Lana to click on the file.

The screen went completely black for a second, before a video came up. Kats' solemn face stared out from the massive screen. Though this seemed like she was contacting them, James and Tom could tell that this was recorded long ago. Her brownish/auburnish hair was pointedly longer, reaching her back instead of stopping just above her shoulders. Her skin looked tanner and healthier and there were no dark rings around her eyes. The most significant thing was her expression. She looked guilty and saddened, almost like the day she came back from whatever she'd done when she was eleven. The image stared for another second, then took a breath and started,

"If you're listening to this, then I'm guessing I didn't show up to whatever the hell* you wanted me to show up to. I'm only guessing that James and Tom are there, maybe Garth too. If you're listening to this, then I'm either kidnapped, or dead."

Alice gasped, but there was nothing to be done. The image of Kat kept talking, her voice growing sadder by the second,

"All I can hope for is that I killed that bastard Loup-Garou before I died and/or was taken. If this wasn't the case, then oh well. I guess I have to leave it to Garth and Lana to kill him dead for me."

"When this video is over, an email will pop up. It will prompt you to insert a file. There are two to choose from, one labeled 'Kidnapped' and one labeled 'Dead'. You will have to choose which one to send, depending on my current status. If you want, you can listen to the one you sent afterwards, but not before." At this, Kat smiled crookedly, "Can't have you trying to stop me. The people it is to be sent to are already set up. You'll see the results within two days."

"Well, this is it for me. To whoever's listening, tell Alice, Sammy, Tom, Danny, Lana, Garth, James, Ryan… Hell, tell Ethan and Fallac and whoever knows me that I love them. You'll never hear me say that ever again."

The video ended and another screen popped up. It was just as she said; an email already composed, all they had to do was choose the file. For a second, they all hesitated. There was a chance that she was already dead. For all they knew, her dead body was about to be found in an alley two miles away.

"Hell with this." Garth growled suddenly. He pushed Lana out of the way, double clicked on the file labeled 'Kidnapped', and quickly pressed 'Send' before anyone could stop him. The email immediately went away, and in its place was the folder with both files in it.

Again, they all hesitated. Did they really want to know what Kat had done for them? The line was still ringing in their heads, "Can't have you trying to stop me." Kat was capable of so much, even murder, if it came to it.

"You gonna play it, or what?" It was Alice this time. She had a grip on both James and Toms hands, but she had put on her bravest face for all of them. With a sigh, Lana took the mouse back from Garth and double clicked on 'Kidnapped'

* * *

><p>Cliff-hanger! If you hate those as much as I do, then I'm sorry. As I said in the intro, its 11pm on a Monday, I'm tired, and I would like to sleep. Sorry.<p>

*Please note that even though I said Kat doesn't curse, I don't consider Hell as a curse word.

And for all the computer stuff, I have no idea if its possible. I'm no computer nerd.


	4. Find Me

Sorry about how late I'm getting these out. Stress is killing me. Almost literally. Finals are in two weeks and I have a Biology (my worst subject by far) assessment Tuesday. Its really no excuse. But, on the bright side, School ends offically on May 21st, and I'll have a bit more time. I do have summer homework (damn AP Euro) but I'm pretty good at juggling.

This chapter is a bit short, and rushed, so excuse the messiness. And if I went OOC on anything, forgive me. First Fanfic here, it ain't gonna be perfect.

Enjoy.

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><p><strong>Find Me<strong>

*3rd Person*

-The Same Time, in the Watchtower*

It was the same thing that had happened for three weeks straight. A few of the Justice League members, Superman, Batman, Flash, Black Canary, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Martian Manhunter, and Green Arrow were sitting in a large room at the Watchtower, having a meeting. No one ever knew what it would be about, but they all knew it would be boring.

Flash was currently drawing meme faces, thanks to his nephews' recent obsession with the stupid things, while half-listening to whatever Superman and Batman were arguing about. Black Canary was busy worrying about what she was going to do for dinner with Green Arrow. Martian Manhunter and Aquaman were talking quietly to each other about mundane things. Wonder Woman was watching the arguing heroes, wondering whether she should break it up or let them run the time down so that they could end the meeting. The same thing had been happening for the past three weeks, and all the heroes were sick of it.

The arguing heroes were interrupted by a sudden change on the screen behind them. Everyone, even Flash, turned to see a young girl looking out from the screen.

"What the fuck?" Green Arrow hissed. Black Canary effectively hit him in the arm, a silent gesture to stop the language.

Batman and Superman stepped away to get a better look at the girl. She looked to be about sixteen, Robins age, with brown hair and silver eyes. She was relatively pale, almost to the point of unhealthy, and every hero in the room could see the skin sagging off her face. Her eyes had a dangerous glint to them, as if something cold and broken lived inside her. They were all startled when she started to speak,

"This is to the Justice League. I can only hope this gets to you while you're together, because I need all the main guys to hear this. In fact, not only my life, but all of your lives depends on this broadcast.

"I guess you're wondering who I am, let alone why I'm contacting you. Well, my town calls me Runner, and if you're getting this message, then I've been kidnapped."

Black Canary gasped, much to the surprise of the other League members. She got closer to the screen, trying to imagine this girl in a black face mask, grey pants, and a black shirt. Yes, it could be her. It _was_ her.

The Runner smiled, almost as if she heard them, "I hope at least one of you knows who I am. Then you might understand this better. You see, I set up a safety protocol for my allies, in the event of my kidnapping and/or death. You just happen to be the most influential people I could find, and the only ones who can help us now. Help _me_ now.

"Luckily, if you get this message, then I've not been killed, yet. This sets the question in place. What are you going to do about this, Clark Kent?"

Every hero in the room went wide-eyed, especially Superman. It wasn't possible. This girl, who was probably barely old enough to drive, knew their secret I.D's? There was no way. Even Robin hadn't been able to hack their computers and remain undetected. They were still dumbfounded when she started again,

"That was probably a shock to you all, right?" She gave them a half-hearted smirk, trying ineffectively to make it look like a smile, "Yeah, I hacked your database. Yes, I did it undetected. Why do you think you have nothing on who I am? But that's beside the point. Right now, I'm the most dangerous element in this world. Kidnapped with information on the Justice League. I know how much I can take before I talk, but you don't. What are you going to do?"

Flash turned to Batman, trying to hide the concern in his eyes, "She can't possibly know everything, right? Not everything was on our database."

"No," Batman answered, "But everything was on MY database."

"Yes, Batman, that means I hacked your computer. I needed the info. I know who all of you are, where you work, who your family is. I know your sidek—_partners_ information. As far as you know, I know everything."

"I know you probably won't believe me, with only one name, so I'll tell you what else I know. Green Arrow, Oliver Queen, millionaire residing in Star City. Superman, Clark Kent, news reporter in Metropolis. Black Canary, Dinah Lance, girlfriend of Green Arrow. Wonder Woman, Princess Diana. Flash, Bartholomew Allen, husband of reporter Iris West-Allen. I won't mention Batman, because I'm sure he could kill me with his Batglare through a TV screen, even though I'm not actually there."

It was a lame attempt at a joke, but the jest gave them even more information. She obviously had more info on the Justice League than anyone wanted. If she'd really said Batglare, she knew way too much. Batman was already planning on bringing her in, but with that statement, he realized that she was almost too dangerous. There was one thing he could do after they got her back, have Martian Manhunter erase her memories.

"Is that enough? Or should I tell you the identities of your partners? I'd rather not. And anyway, you're probably planning on either keeping me in a tiny room for the rest of my life or erasing my memories. I would say kill me, but you heroes don't kill. I don't either, but I know the Rebels have no qualms about it. This is why I'm contacting you.

"Justice League, YOU, although I hate to admit it, are my only hope of surviving till my seventieth birthday. The Rebels would cause a controversy. The police will refuse to help. I need someone who can help me without causing a scene.

"I'm sorry I had to do this, I really am. I understand how much your partners mean to you, and to put them in danger is a terrible offence. But I can't do this on my own.

"The Rebels have been notified, and their leader is possibly watching this right now. I've given them instructions, if you agree. I can't force you. No way in hell will I ever be able to force the Justice League into anything.

"Again, I'm really sorry for this. I know none of you will believe me, but I am. I know what it feels like to have your friends and families put in danger. This is the only way I can keep mine from dying.

"Well, that's all I have to say. There are instructions after this video for if you decide to help. The Leader of the Rebels will receive reciprocal info. If you open the file, it will send a notification to the Rebels that you will help. When that happens, you have two days to get to Hopeton and find me. My enemies will probably kill me on the third.

"Now that my whole spiel is over, I'll leave you with one question: What are you going to do?" With that sentence, she smiled sadly. Though she'd said she was sixteen, now she looked almost one hundred. Runner then placed her hand over the camera, blacking out the screen and ending the video. A white screen popped up, slowly revealing an email with one attachment. Flash almost smiled at the message underneath the attachment.

'In the event that you actually decide to help the vigilante who is blackmailing you, please open the attachment. You will have two days to get to Hopeton.

'This message will then self-destruct. Not really, but I wish I could do that.'

The members of the Justice League stared at the message composed. The attachment, labeled "What to do", stared at them, almost as if it wanted to blink so that they could see it better. All the heroes in the room turned slowly to Superman as if to say "What next?"

Superman stared at the screen as if he could burn through it, which he could. Finally, he seemed like he came to a decision, turning to make eye contact with each League member once. Then, he turned to Batman.

"What are we going to do?" He asked the Dark Knight.

Batman narrowed his eyes at the screen, "She's dangerous. Knows too much."

"And did you see her? She knows she's dangerous. She also answered each question we had without knowing what we'd ask." Wonder Woman added.

The League members paused again; a heavy silence filled the room. Each member was thinking about their partner, thinking of The Team. This girl was putting everyone in danger.

"She wears a mask."

Everyone turned to stare at Black Canary. Green Arrow had noticed how quiet she was, this was the first time she spoke up since the message started. The woman's normally tanned face was pale and drawn, as if she'd seen a ghost.

"What do you mean?" Martian Manhunter asked, speaking up for the first time as well.

Black Canary cleared her throat, "The girl, the Runner. She wears a mask. No one's ever seen her face before. I saw her on the news one day, she never goes without it. But she took it off for this. Why?"

No one answered, though many seemed to come to the conclusion that Canary had. Only Wonder Woman, Flash, and Aquaman still seemed to be confused.

"She doesn't think she'll make it out alive." Batman finally said.

Silence again descended upon the League members. Why blackmail them if the girl didn't expect to survive? What was the point?

"Well," Flash broke the silence, stretching in his chair, "What are we waiting for? You heard Runner. We have two days, which means The Team will have one day to find her. Open the damned attachment."

He turned to Batman and Superman, raising an eyebrow, "The Team is getting her, right?"

The two men looked at each other wordlessly for a moment, before Batman sighed. The attachment was opened and read. Eyes widened among the heroes.

This time, it was Batman who broke the silence.

"I'll assemble The Team and debrief them."

* * *

><p>Yeah, I know. It kinda sucks. But I had to introduce the League sometime. Seemed like the best thing to do.<p>

Please review. I do need to know how I can improve. And if you can possibly give me any tips on how to write in 'superhero perspective', please help and give them.


	5. Update

Okay, so as of now Flying Feet and Broken Wings is on a hiatus. There's too much going on in my life and I have absolutely no creativity. FF&BW will be back, soon hopefully. But, as of now, I have zero words written for chapter five.

Thanks to everyone who likes the story, by the way. It means a lot!

So, hopefully I'll be back in a month or two. By then, surely, everything will be back to normal and I will get past this writers block.


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